


Bar Talk

by RoslynCarisi (Yoselin)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 06:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoselin/pseuds/RoslynCarisi
Summary: Premise: Carisi gets a drink after a difficult case and meets up with the new SVU detective.





	Bar Talk

It is almost closing time at the bar, the crowd has thinned out and last call is approaching. Detective Sonny Carisi sits at the bar top nursing a glass of something bitter in one hand while looking over his cell on the other. The news headlines talk about their latest case everywhere. Photos of the perp they had arrested dot every major news outlet in the local area. The case had been a tough one, and it seemed like it would never truly end.   
A weary sigh leaves his lips and he clicks his cellphone off. After weeks of chasing that guy, he’s had enough of him for a lifetime. What he needs now is a breather from it all.   
The liquor burns the inside of his mouth and leaves a warm feeling in his chest. He isn’t one to drink, mouthfuls of prayers help more than mouthfuls of liquor, yet he has come to this bar anyway. If anything, the change of scenery is enough of a therapy session.   
A headache is forming in his temple, a small sting to one side of his face, and he raises his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He’s sure he’s seen something about that online, a manual headache remedy, yet the pain refuses to ease up.   
His fingers drum on the bar counter and he stares at the last bit of liquor still in his hand. The ice has melted by now, condensation gathering at the edges of the glass, and he figures he should probably get a move on. Last call is drawing near, he should get home before the night gets too dark.   
Just as he sits up to leave, the front door to the bar opens. Someone strides in and lets in a cool breeze after them. His name spills from their lips and a part of his headache eases up immediately at the sound of their voice.   
It’s the detective, the new one SVU had just added not even a few months ago. She shakes off some of the rain from her overcoat and slings it over her arm. Waving to the bartender, she slides into the seat next to him.   
Despite his exhaustion, a part of him brightens in her presence. Any distraction is a good distraction if it chases away some of his thoughts. He could use a friendly face.   
“You found me,” he observes. A small twitch of his lips gives way to a smile. He angles his body to give the detective his full attention.   
“Rollins said you’d be either here or at the church nearby,” she replies, “I figured this was closer.”  
Sonny inclines his head to the side. The rain had led him to this bar. It had been pouring buckets when he had left the station and he figured he could grab a drink and wait for it to ease up before heading to mass. He just needed a breather away from the hubbub at the station. It really had been a messy case.   
“I’ll buy you a drink,” he offers. He holds up his glass but doesn’t take a drink from it yet, the liquor is twisting his stomach. He hasn’t had anything to eat in a while, too busy ducking phone calls and filling out papers.   
The Detective pushes a strand of her hair back. She thanks him but shakes her head. “I don’t drink.”  
Sonny shrugs and lets the matter drop. He can tell there’s more to the story, there’s an entire undertone to her statement, but he knows not to pry. By now, he’s learned his lesson regarding personal stories and space.   
“Did you need me for something?” He forces himself to finish his glass, it burns as it goes down, and he tries hard to keep from making a face. He isn’t one to despise alcohol, goes drinking as normally as any other man his age, but tonight he should have just settled for something lighter.   
“I just needed a breath of fresh air from all that,” the Detective admits. She doesn’t have to elaborate, he knows she means the case.   
His cellphone vibrates with another notification. It’s a local news station this time with their own version of the story. New York is having a field day with this case, it’s a sensational piece that is making its rounds everywhere.   
He flicks his finger across the screen and dismisses the notification. With a tap, he shuts his cell off. He reckons he’s had enough tonight.   
“At least it’s over,” he reminds her, “We can breathe now.”  
His own words bring him some mental clarity. He smiles genuinely now, blue eyes lighting up, and he coughs into his hand.   
The Detective murmurs her own agreement as she bites her lip.   
“Does it ever get easier?” She wonders. Her eyes take on a faraway glint and she looks out the bar windows. The rain is starting to ease up now and the winds have lowered.   
Sonny takes his time answering that question. He has been in SVU for a while now, yet he’s still not sure whether he has the response she wants.   
Truth is, this job takes bites out of you. He’s spent several nights laying in bed watching the faces of victims flicker on by. This profession is a tough one that will pick away at you until there is nothing but skin on bones.   
He wonders idly if he should lie. Should he tell her that it does to spare her from the truth? Should he attempt to preserve her innocence for just a little longer before the true monsters of humanity peek their ugly faces?  
A notification comes from her cellphone now, the Mayor is responding to the case, and Sonny bites the inside of his cheek. There is no lying here. He cannot spare her from what she has already witnessed.   
“It doesn’t,” he finally answers, “But there are ways to help.”  
She turns his reply over in her mind, he can all but hear the gears turning in her head, and pushes a stray lock of hair back. Her thoughts are flying like a runaway train. Sonny wishes he could help her ease some of the stress that has already settled upon her shoulders.   
“What do you do then? To make it easier,” she turns to him.   
Sonny nods his head out the rain in the direction of the church.   
“I pray, I drink, I talk, and I remember the people that matter. We help make the streets safer. Surely there is someone you want to protect.”  
Sonny has his family he wants to protect. His nieces and sisters, his parents, his friends. He wakes up daily and drags himself to work because he wants to make New York a better place. SVU shows the worst that humanity has to offer, but his family shows him what truly matters.   
He can brave the monsters of New York it it’ll only mean they won’t have to. That thought gives him strength.   
The Detective bites her cheek. “I do.”  
Silence lapses between them, the only sound of the bartender clinking glasses somewhere deeper in the building, and Sonny presses his lips together.   
“It doesn’t ever get easier,” he repeats, “But you can ease some of the burden off you. Just focus on the people that you want to protect and surround yourself with the people you want to love.”  
She repeats the phrase under her breath and Sonny can see that it strikes true in her. He may not know her story yet, she is still so new to the squad, but he knows enough. She has people she wants to protect, and she is working on people she wants to love.   
The last of the rain eases up and the New York night skyline winks at them. The streets are beginning to clear up and he risks a glance at the clock. It is very late now, but the church around the corner always has the doors open. If he wants to pay a visit, now would be the time.   
As he moves to stand, the Detective stands too. She looks almost shy as she does so, and she bites the inside of her cheek.   
“Do you mind if I pray with you? It’s been a while and I’m sure I have some catching up to do,” she looks away in embarrassment.   
Another tiny smile quirks at the edge of his lips and the Catholic in him immediately sparks. He feels a religious fervor rise in him and is reminded of all the years ago he considered being a priest.   
“Any time,” he replies.   
He means it too. The Detective is nice company and he wouldn’t mind spending some more time with her. She’s a new squad member, he figures he should try and get to know her.   
“Thanks, Carisi.”  
She spins on her heels and waits for him at the door. He pays for his drink, waves at the bartender, and moves to her side. Her hair blows with the breeze.   
“You ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. I’ve worked at SVU long enough to help,” he comments.   
The Detective smiles, a nice sight, and nods.   
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she bites her lip, “thank you.”  
Sonny shoves his hands into his pocket and inclines his head in reply. Together, they head in the direction of the Catholic Church poking over the skyline.   
The job they have is a messy one full of humanity’s lowest. Better men have fallen to it, have let it bleed them dry, but Carisi is intent on not being one of them. He remembers those he wants to protect and surrounds himself by those he wants to love. Their memories and thoughts fuel him daily.   
And he hopes his advice will help the young Detective beside him. He, more than most, knows how low SVU can hurt, and he doesn’t want her to suffer the same fate.   
He hopes ardently that she will take him up on his offer. This job strands even the toughest of people, but he intent on not letting her wander astray.


End file.
